Pratibha Patil

  

Pratibha Patil Date of Birth : Dec 19, 1934 Place of Birth : Nadgaon, Maharashtra Took Office : Jul 25, 2007		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil was born to Narayan Paglu Rao on 19th December 1934 at Nadgaon, Maharashtra. She studied at R.R. School at Jalgaon. She received her M.A. from Mooljee Jaitha (M.J.) College, Jalgaon and obtained a law degree from the Government Law College, Mumbai and practised as an advocate in Jalgaon. Coming from a humble family, her father was a public prosecutor. From social work, she joined the cogress and was elected to the Maharashtra Assembly in 1962 for the first time. Three years later, she married Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat, a maratha of Rajasthani origin. From 1972 to 1978, Patil was a cabinet minister in Maharashtra. She was the leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly in 1979. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1985. From 1986 to 1988, she held the post of deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. As a member of parliament, she represented Amravati in the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996. She later became the 24th Governor of Rajasthan and, notably, was also the first female governor of this state. And now, she has become the first female President of India on July 25, 2007 and also she is the first maharashtrian to hold this post. She is the proud mother of a son and daughter.

Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam

Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam Date of Birth : Oct 15, 1931 Place of Birth : Tamil Nadu Tenure Order : July 25, 2002 Took Office : Jul 25, 2002 Left Office : - Successor : -		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam, the twelfth President of India, is rightfully termed as the father of India's missile technology. He was born to parents Jainulabdeen Marakayar and Ashiamma on 15th October, 1931, at Dhanushkodi in Rameshwaram district, Tamil Nadu. Specialized in Aero Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology, he initially worked in DRDO in 1958 and then joined ISRO in 1963. Dr. Kalam has made significant contribution to Indian satellite and launch vehicles of ISRO and also in the missile programme of DRDO. As project Director, SLV-III, he contributed for the design, development and management of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) to inject Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit. He was responsible for the evolution of ISRO's launch vehicles programme and configurations. He rejoined DRDO in 1982 and conceived the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) for indigenous missiles. He was Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999. As Chairman, Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), he generated the Technology Vision 2020 documents - a road map for transforming India from Developing India to Developed India. He provided overall guidance to a number of Homegrown Technology Projects and major technology missions such as Sugar, Advanced Composites and Fly Ash utilization. Dr. Kalam has served as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, in the rank of Cabinet Minister, from November 1999 to November 2001. He was primarily responsible for evolving policies, strategies and missions for generation of innovations and support systems for multiple applications. Also, generating science and technology task in strategic, economic and social sectors in partnership with Government departments, institutions and industry. Dr. Kalam was also the Chairman, Ex-officio, of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C). Dr. Kalam took up academic pursuit as Professor, Technology & Societal Transformation at Anna University, Chennai and involved in teaching and research tasks. Above all he is on his mission to ignite the young minds for national development by meeting high school students across the country. Dr. Kalam was conferred with the Degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc. Honoris Causa) by 30 universities/academic institutions. He is recipient of several awards including the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration 1997. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has been awarded Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and Bharat Ratna in 1997.

K.R.Narayan

K.R.Narayan Date of Birth : Oct 27, 1920 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Kerala Tenure Order : July 25, 1997 Took Office : Jul 25, 1997 Left Office : Jul 24, 2002 Successor : -		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Sh.K.R.Narayanan assumed office as President of India on July 25, 1997. Shri Narayanan was born on October 27, 1920 in the village of Uzhavoor in Kottayam district, Kerala. Shri Narayanan received his education from the University of Travancore where he obtained an M.A. degree in English Literature standing first in the University. Later, he obtained B.Sc. (Econ.) degree from the London School of Economics with First Class Honours specialising in Political Science. Shri Narayanan started his career as a Lecturer in the University of Travancore (1943). Later he took to journalism and worked with The Hindu, Madras (now Chennai) and Times of India, Bombay (now Mumbai - 1944-45). While a student in London, he served as the London Correspondent of "Social Welfare", a weekly from Bombay edited by Shri K.M. Munshi (1945-48). Shri Narayanan joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1949 and served in Indian Embassies in Rangoon, Tokyo, London, Canberra and Hanoi and held different positions in the Ministry of External Affairs. In between he taught Economic Administration at Delhi School of Economics from 1954-55 and was also the Joint Director of the Orientation Centre for Foreign Technicians. Shri Narayanan also served as India's Ambassador to Thailand (1967-69), Turkey (1973-75), the People's Republic of China (1976-78) and Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs (1976). After retirement from the Foreign Service in 1978, Shri Narayanan was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in January 1979 and held the post till October 1980. Shri Narayanan was sent as a political appointee to be India's Ambassador to the United States of America from 1980-84. After completing his term as Indian Ambassador to USA, Shri Narayanan entered politics and won three successive General Elections in 1984,1989 and 1991 from his Parliament Constituency of Ottapalam in Kerala. He was Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from 1985 to 1992. During this period he was Union Minister of State for Planning (1985), External Affairs (1985-86) and Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, Space, Electronics and Ocean Development and Vice-President, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (1986-89). Shri Narayanan has been a Member of various Indian delegations to : (i) United Nations General Assembly (1979), (ii) The UN Security Council in November 1985 on Namibian Independence, (iii) Conference of Non-aligned Nations at Harare (1986) and (iv) The Special Session of the UN General Assembly in May 1986 on the critical situation in Africa Shri Narayanan has been associated with several institutions in diverse capacities. He was President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations; President, Indian Institute of Public Administration; President, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Cultures, Calcutta; Patron of the International Award for Young People - India. Shri Narayanan has also served as Chairman of (i) The Jury of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding; (ii) The International Jury for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development; (iii) The Advisory Committee for the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award; (iv) The Jury for International Gandhi Award for Leprosy (v) The Jury for Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar; (vi) The Jury for Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Award for Social Understanding and Upliftment of Weaker Sections; (vii) The Jury for Dr. B.R. Ambedkar International Award for Social Change; (viii) The Jury for G.D. Birla Awards for Humanism, India's Heritage and Culture and Rural Upliftment; (ix) The Jury for Communal Harmony Awards Shri Narayanan is a Member of the Universal Academy of Cultures, Paris; Honorary Fellow of London School of Economics; Honorary Fellow, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore; Honorary Fellow of Centre for Development Studies, Kerala. He was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1970-72 for study of Pandit Nehru's Non-alignment. The President received the World Statesman Award of The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, New York in 1998. Shri Narayanan has received several degrees and honours. These are : Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa), University of Toledo, USA; Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa), Australian National University; Australian National University has instituted an annual "K.R. Narayanan Oration"; Honorary Professor of Bishkek Humanities University (Kyrghyz Republic); Vachaspati (D. Litt) (Honoris Causa), Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi; Doctorate (Honoris Causa), University of San Marcos, Peru; Doctorate of Letters (Honoris Causa), Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Doctorate of Political Science (Honoris Causa), Bilkent University, Turkey. Shri Narayanan is the Visitor of Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and several other Central Universities. He has also been the Chancellor of Delhi University, Punjab University, Pondicherry University, Assam University, North Eastern Hill University and Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed University); Visitor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University Institute of Journalism, Bhopal; Visitor of Madras School of Economics. He is also visitor of Viswa Bharati University, established by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Shri Narayanan has delivered Convocation Addresses at several Universities in India and abroad. Political thought and international affairs, education; philosophy of science and social applications of science and technology; Poetry, Literature and the fine arts; Folk and Classical Music; Walking. Shri Narayanan is Patron of various social, cultural and sports organisations. Shri Narayanan is married to Smt. Usha Narayanan. The Narayanans have two daughters, Chitra and Amrita.

Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma

Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma Date of Birth : Aug 19, 1918 Date of Death : Dec 26, 1999 Place of Birth : India Tenure Order : 9th President Took Office : Jul 25, 1992 Left Office : Jul 25, 1997 Successor : K.R.Narayanan		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma was an Indian scholar and politician, most notable for serving as President of India from 1992 until 1997. Sharma studied in Britain as a young man. He attended Cambridge University and Oxford University. He was a bar-at-law from Lincoln's Inn and taught law at Cambridge University in 1946-47. He took his M.A. degrees in English literature, Hindi and Sanskrit. Shankar Dayal Sharma was married to Vimala Sharma. During the 1940s he was involved in the struggle for Indian independence from Britain, and joined the Indian National Congress, a party which he would remain loyal to for the rest of his life. In 1952 he became the chief minister of Bhopal and served in that position until the state reorganization of 1956, when Bhopal merged with several other states to form the state of Madhya Pradesh. During the 1960s Sharma supported Indira Gandhi's quest for leadership of the Congress Party. He served in her cabinet as the minister for Communication from 1974-77. Later on, he was given a variety of ceremonial posts. In 1984 he began serving as a governor of Indian states, first in Andhra Pradesh. During this time, his daughter and son-in-law were killed by Sikh militants. In 1985 he left Andhra Pradesh and became governor of Punjab during a time of violence between the Indian government and Sikh militants, many of whom lived in Punjab. He left Punjab in 1986 and took up his final governorship in Maharashtra. He remained governor of that state until 1987 when he was elected for a 5-year term as Vice-President of India and chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma was known be a stickler for parliamentary norms. He is known to have broken down in the Rajya Sabha while witnessing the members of the house create a din on a political issue. His grief brought back some order into the proceedings of the house. Sharma served as Vice-President until 1992, when he was elected President. After a difficult campaign, he received 66% of the votes in the electoral college, defeating George Swell. During his five-year term, he was active in ceremonial matters and was in charge of dismissing and appointing governors. During his last year as President, it was his responsibility to swear in three prime ministers. He did not run for a second term as President. During the last five years of his life, Sharma suffered from ill health. On October 9 1999, he suffered a massive heart attack and was admitted to a hospital in New Delhi, where he died. He was cremated near the Vijay Ghat.

R.Venkataraman

R.Venkataraman Date of Birth : Dec 4, 1910 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Tamil Nadu Tenure Order : 8th President Took Office : Jul 25, 1987 Left Office : Jul 25, 1992 Successor : -		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Born on December 4, 1910 in the village of Rajamadam, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu, Shri Venkataraman married Smt Janaki Venkataraman in the year 1938. They have three daughters. Educated locally and in the city of Madras, Shri Venkataraman obtained his Master Degree in Economics from Madras University. He later qualified in Law from the Law College, Madras. Shri Venkataraman was enrolled in the High Court, Madras in 1935 and in the Supreme Court in 1951. While practicing Law, Shri Venkataraman was drawn into the movement for India's freedom from Britain's colonial subjugation. His active participation in the Indian National Congress's celebrated resistance to the British Government, the 'Quit India Movement of 1942', resulted in his detention for two years under the British Government's Defence of India Rules. Shri Venkataraman's interest in the Law continued during this period. In 1946, when the Transfer of Power from British to Indian hands was imminent, the Government of India included him in the panel of lawyers sent to Malaya and Singapore to defend Indian nationals charged with offences of collaboration during the Japanese occupation of those two places. In the years 1947 to 1950, Shri Venkataraman served as Secretary of the Madras Provincial Bar Federation. Shri Venkataraman acquired, early in his legal career, an abiding interest in the law pertaining to labour. On his release from prison in 1944, Shri Venkataraman took up the Organisation of the Labour Section of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. He founded, in 1949, the Labour Law Journal which publishes important decisions pertaining to labour and is an acknowledged specialist publication. Shri Venkataraman came to be intimately associated with trade union activity, founding or leading several unions, including those for plantation workers, estate staff, dock-workers, railway workers and working journalists. Shri Venkataraman also took a direct and keen interest in the conditions of agricultural workers in his home district of Thanjavur. Law and trade union activity led to Shri Venkataraman's increasing association with politics. He was elected in 1950, to free India's Provisional Parliament (1950-1952) and to the First Parliament (1952-1957). During his term of legislative activity, Shri Venkataraman attended the 1952 Session of the Metal Trades Committee of International Labour Organisation as a workers' delegate. He was a member of the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in New Zealand. Shri Venkataraman was also Secretary to the Congress Parliamentary Party in 1953-1954. Although re-elected to Parliament in 1957, Shri Venkataraman resigned his seat in the Lok Sabha to join the State Government of Madras as a Minister. There Shri Venkataraman held the portfolios of Industries, Labour, Cooperation, Power, Transport and Commercial Taxes from 1957 to 1967. During this time, he was also Leader of the Upper House, namely, the Madras Legislative Council. Shri Venkataraman was appointed a Member of the Union Planning Commission in 1967 and was entrusted the subjects of Industry, Labour, power, Transport, Communications, Railways. He held that office until 1971. In 1977, Shri Venkataraman was elected to the Lok Sabha from Madras (South) Constituency and served as an Opposition Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. In 1980, Shri Venkataraman was re-elected to the Lok Sabha and was appointed Union Minister of Finance in the Government headed by Smt Indira Gandhi. He was later appointed Union Minister of Defence. Shri Venkataraman was also, variously, member of the Political Affairs Committee and the Economic Affairs Committee of the Union Cabinet; Governor, International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Asian Development Bank. Shri Venkataraman was a Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly in 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1961. He was Leader of the Indian Delegation to the 42nd Session of the International Labour Conference at Geneva (1958) and represented India in the Inter Parliamentary Conference in Vienna (1978). He was a Member, United Nations Administrative Tribunal from 1955 to 1979 and was its President from 1968 to 1979. Shri Vankataraman has visited a large number of countries in West and East Europe, the Soviet Union, U.S.A., Canada, South East Asia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia and Mauritius on official duties. Shri Venkataraman has received the Doctorate of Law (Honoris Causa) from University of Madras, the Doctorate of Law (Honoris Causa) from Nagarjuna University. He is Honorary Fellow, Madras Medical College; Doctor of Social Sciences, University of Roorkee; Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa) from University of Burdwan. He has been awarded The Tamra Patra for participation in the freedom struggle, the Soviet Land Prize for his travelogue on Shri Kamraj's visit to the Socialist countries. He is the recipient of a Souvenir from the Secretary-General of the United Nations for distinguished service as President of the U.N. Administrative Tribunal. The title of "Sat Seva Ratna" has been conferred on him by His Holiness the Sankaracharya of Kancheepuram. Shri Venkataraman was elected Vice-President of India in August, 1984. He was, simultaneously, Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), the Second Chamber of the Indian Parliament. As Vice-President of India, he was Chairman of the Jury for the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding and of the International Jury for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development. He was Vice-Chairman of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund; Trustee, Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust; President, Indian Institute of Public Administration; Chancellor, Gandhgram Rural Institute; Chancellor, Delhi University; Chancellor, Punjab University and President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Having been elected to the Office of the President of India, Shri Venkataraman was sworn in on July 25, 1987. He is the Eighth President of the Republic of India.

Giani Zail Singh

Giani Zail Singh Date of Birth : May 5, 1916 Date of Death : Dec 25, 1994 Place of Birth : Faridkot Tenure Order : July 25, 1982 Took Office : Jul 25, 1982 Left Office : Jul 25, 1987 Successor : R.Venkataraman		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Giani Zail Singh, was born on May 5, 1916 in village Sandhwan in Faridkot District in a family of artisans, taken to agriculture. His father Sardar Kishan Singh owned about fifty-six acres of land which was intershared by Giani Zail Singh and his two brothers. He comes from common stock and was born in a mud house in a remote village having no pull or patronage. Giani Zail Singh, whose ascendancy in the service of the nation can be traced from the humblest of origins, combines rare qualities of head and heart. The Giani's innings in public life have been long and varied - freedom fighter, social reformer, champion of the down-trodden, State Congress Leader, successful Chief Minister and Union Home Minister. Truly, he was a relentless fighter against princedom, feudalism and foreign domination in the pre-independence days, a tireless crusader against communalism, economic disparities and social injustice, a true friend of the down-trodden and the economically weak. The martyrdom of Bhagat Singh and his companions, valiant freedom fighters, on March 23, 1931, moved the young Giani who was then only 16. The story of Giani Zail Singh's ordeals started with setting up of the branch of the All India Congress in the State of Faridkot in 1938. Giani Zail Singh was proclaimed and treated as an ordinary criminal. The Maharaja regarded the opening of the Branch of the Congress as a challenge and the man who did it as an arch enemy. So it was that Gianiji having founded the Congress in the State of Faridkot found himself behind prison bars for five years. He was kept in solitary confinement throughout his imprisonment. Even after his release, Gianiji was harassed and he had to spend sometime outside the State. During this period he canvassed support for the freedom movement in his State. During the same period he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's message of non-violence. Adventure of Giani Zail Singh's life. Giani Zail Singh was held guilty of leading the revolt against the Raja's Government and taken into custody. Then occurred the famous Jeep Episode - a tyrannical response to Gianiji's quest to end the princely and feudal tyranny. Gianiji was bound hand and feet to a jeep and was threatened that he would be dragged along the streets unless he relented. But ultimately good sense prevailed and the threat was not carried out. When Faridkot State was merged into the State of Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Giani Zail Singh made historic contributions in removing socio-economic injustice of farm labourers, small cultivators and tenants in his capacity as a Minister for Revenue and Agriculture. The conferment of proprietary rights on the actual tillers and the abolition of absentee landlordism and the legislative steps ensuring the security of tenancy and the rights of tenants to share the lands declared as "surplus" after land-ceiling, are all to the credit of Gianiji. The protection given in PEPSU against State ejectments by landlords is till today a shining landmark in the post-freedom history of agrarian reforms in India. In 1956, Giani Zail Singh became a Member of Rajya Sabha and the Senior Vice-President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. He injected new fervour among the partymen and struggled selflessly to ensure thumping victories for the Congress in Punjab in 1962 General Elections to Punjab Vidhan Sabha and the Lok Sabha. He was taken as a Minister in the Government headed by the late Sardar Pratap Singh Kairon but in 1962, he sacrificed that office when the Chinese aggression brought new challenges in its wake. During 1962 to 1972, Giani Zail Singh waged an uncompromising battle against the forces of communalism, reaction and exploitation for about ten long years in Punjab. As a President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, the spirit he was able to infuse in the rank and file of the Congress against heavy odds, triumphed with decisive and overwhelming majority for the Congress in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections and the 1972 Punjab Vidhan Sabha poll. In March, 1972, he was elected unanimously by the Punjab Congress Legislative Party to be the Chief Minister of Punjab. For an unprecedented spell of stability for five years and three months, Giani Zail Singh accelerated the pace of Green Revolution and industrialization in the State and strengthened the forces of secularism by promoting the unity of the people of all faiths. Under his dynamic stewardship Punjab saw prosperity, stability, vitality, unity and solidarity. Inspired by the Leadership of Shrimati Indira Gandhi, Gianiji worked with dedication to make the Punjabis realize their dream of a better life. With the advent of the multiparty governments at the Centre and in certain States including Punjab towards the middle of 1977, Giani Zail Singh had to brave a fresh spate of difficulties, hardships and harassment. The trials and tribulations, however, failed to break his spirit or to deprive him of the love of the common masses. He was elected to the Seventh Lok Sabha in January, 1980, from the Hoshiarpur Constituency in Punjab with a thumping lead of over 1,25,000 votes over his nearest rival, and became Home Minister in Government of India in Smt. Indira Gandhi's Cabinet. As a Union Home Minister, Giani Zail Singh made a notable contribution in maintaining law and order, handling the Assam agitation and dealing firmly with communal riots in the country. He used his vast administrative experience spanning over more than three decades as Minister in PEPSU and Punjab and as the State Chief Minister to his great advantage. In attending to almost all the major problems facing the nation today, he has shown rare qualities of a seasoned statesman. The most striking, however, is his role in the Assam Crisis. He used all his skill in bringing round the agitation leaders to the negotiating table. His personal intervention at the crucial moments during the talks brought him many laurels, and greatly helped create a congenial climate for mutual discussions. As Home Minister he has abundantly shown his keen alertness to the numerous problems facing the nation. He has been able to strengthen the national integration and has shown tenacity in curbing violence of all types. Giani Zail Singh was elected to the highest office of the President of India on July 15, 1982 and took the oath of office on July 25, 1982. Giani Zail Singh believes in the efficiency of politeness in expression and penetrative understanding of human relations and problems. This has, however, never impaired his firmness on basic principles of approach and the fundamentals of the policy and programmes. A refined sense of humour, backed by his intense love for children and the suffering humans in all parts of the country, is his inbuilt safeguard against tensions and malice in his public conduct.

Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy

Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Date of Birth : May 19, 1913 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Andhra Pradesh Tenure Order : 6th President Took Office : Jul 25, 1977 Left Office : Jul 25, 1982 Successor : -		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, the sixth President of India, was a veteran statesman and administrator. He held many eminent positions in public life both before and after independence. Born in a peasant family at Illuri village in the Anantapur District (Andhra Pradesh) on May 19, 1913, Shri Sanjiva Reddy had his early education at the Theosophical High School at Adyar in Madras and later joined the Arts College at Anantapur. In 1931, the young Sanjiva Reddy gave up his studies to take part in the freedom movement. His student days were marked by Youth League and other nationalist activities. In fact, he first came into limelight when he participated in a student satyagraha. At the age of 25, Shri Reddy was elected Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Provincial Congress Committee and remained in that office for 10 years. He was in prison for a greater part of the period 1940-1945. In March 1942, he was released for a while but in August, the same year he was re-arrested and kept in Amraoti jail in Madhya Pradesh along with Shri Prakasam, Shri Satyamurti, Shri Kamaraj, Shri Giri and others till 1945. In 1946, Shri Reddy was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly and became the Secretary of the Madras Congress Legislature Party the following year. In 1947, he became a Member of the Indian Constitutent Assembly. From April 1949 to April 1951, he was Minister for Prohibition, Housing and Forests in the composite state of Madras. In 1951, he resigned this office to contest the Election for the Presidentship of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee which he won. It was during this period that Shri Reddy suffered a terrible tragedy in the death of his five year old son in a motor accident. This shocked him so deeply that he resigned the APCC Presidentship. Later, however, he was prevailed upon to withdraw his resignation. In 1952, he was elected Member of the Rajya Sabha. In 1953, he accepted the post of Deputy Chief Minister in the Cabinet of the late Shri T. Prakasam, even though he was elected the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party. He was again elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1955 and became Deputy Chief Minister in Shri B. Gopala Reddi's cabinet. Shri Reddy became the first Chief Minister to the new State of Andhra Pradesh which was formed following the reorganization of the States in October, 1956. In 1959, he resigned the Chief Ministership to take over the Presidentship of the Indian National Congress. On the expiry of his term of office in March, 1962, he again became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. In February 1964, he voluntarily resigned the office of Chief Minister in order to set high standards of public life. He was, however, re-elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party but he recommended to the Governor to invite Shri K. Brahmananda Reddy, a colleague of his to form a new Ministry. On June 9, 1964, Shri Reddy was appointed a Member of the Union Cabinet formed by Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri and took over the portfolio of Steel and Mines. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in November, 1964. Shri Reddy was Union Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation, Shipping and Tourism from January 1966 to March 1967 in the Cabinet formed by Shrimati Indira Gandhi. In the General Elections in 1967, he was returned to the Lok Sabha from Hindupur constituency in Andhra Pradesh. He was elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha on March 17, 1967, an office that won him unprecedented acclaim and admiration. Shri Reddy resigned the Speakership of the Lok Sabha on the 19th July, 1969 to contest the Presidential election on the basis of his nomination as a nominee of the Congress filed by Shrimati Indira Gandhi. It is now common knowledge that after filing this nomination Shrimati Indira Gandhi subsequently organized his defeat in the elections by unethical means. After 1969, Shri Reddy devoted his time to agriculture, which has always remained his first love. However, on May 1, 1975 he entered active politics again by addressing a public meeting at Hyderabad along with Shri Jayaprakash Narain. In March 1977, he fought the Lok Sabha election from Nandyal constituency in Andhra Pradesh as a Janata Party candidate. He was the only non-Congress candidate to get elected from Andhra Pradesh. Shri Reddy was unanimously elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha on March 26, 1977. He relinquished this office on July 13, 1977 to file his nomination for the Presidentship of the Indian Union. He was unanimously sponsored as the consensus candidate for the Presidentship by all political parties, a rare even in recent political history. He was declared elected unopposed on July 21, 1977. The degree of Honorary Doctor of Laws was conferred on Shri Sanjiva Reddy by the Sri Venkateshwara University in 1958.Shri Sanjiva Reddy married Shrimati Nagarathnamma on June 8, 1935 and they had one son and three daughters.

B.D.Jatti

B.D.Jatti Date of Birth : Sep 10, 1912 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Karnataka Tenure Order : Feb 11, 1977 Took Office : Feb 11, 1977 Left Office : Jul 25, 1977 Successor : -		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
He was born on September 10, 1912 at Savalgi, Bijapur district of Karnataka. He was Chief Minister of Mysore State during 1958-62. He was Vice-President of India from 1974 to 1979. B.D.Jatti held the Office of the President of India temporarily from February 11, 1977 to July 25, 1977.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Date of Birth : May 13, 1905 Date of Death : Feb 11, 1977 Place of Birth : Delhi Tenure Order : 5th President Took Office : Aug 24, 1974 Left Office : Feb 11, 1977 Successor : Neelam Sanjiva		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was President of India of 1974 to 1977. He was educated at St. Stephen's College and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and subsequently became an active member of the Congress Party. He was chosen for the presidency by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974, becoming the second Muslim President in Delhi. He would later use his constitutional authority as head of state to allow her to rule by decree once emergency rule was proclaimed in 1975. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was sworn in as President on August 24, 1974 and held that office till his death on 11th February, 1977. He died while in office.

Varahagiri Venkatagiri

Varahagiri Venkatagiri Date of Birth : Aug 10, 1894 Date of Death : 1980 Place of Birth : Orissa Tenure Order : Aug 24, 1969 Took Office : Aug 24, 1969 Left Office : Aug 24, 1974 Successor : -		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
V.V.Giri was born at Berhampore, Orissa on August 10, 1894. He was responsible for the formation of the all India Trade Union Congress, of which he was President twice. A long period of his public life was devoted to building up the All India Railwaymen's Federation. He was Labour and Industry Minister in the first popular ministry in Madras during 1937-39 and served as Union Labour Minister during 1952-54. Served as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Mysore. He served as Vice-President of India from May 13, 1967 to 1969. He was Acting President from 3.5.69 to 20.7.69 after the death of Dr.Zakir Hussain. V.V.Giri was elected to the Office of the President and was sworn in on 24.8.69. He held office till 24.8.1974. He was awarded the 'Bharat Ratna' in 1975. V.V.Giri passed away in 1980.

Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah

Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah Date of Birth : Dec 17, 1905 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Maharashtra Tenure Order : Jul 20, 1969 Took Office : Jul 20, 1969 Left Office : Aug 21, 1969 Successor : -		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
M.Hidayatullah was born on 17th December, 1905 in Maharashtra. He was Chief Justice of India from 1968 to 1970. He was Acting President of India for a short term from 20th July to 21st August, 1969. Later, he served as the Vice-President of India from 1979 to 1984.

Dr.Zakir Hussain

Dr.Zakir Hussain Date of Birth : Feb 8, 1897 Date of Death : May 3, 1969 Place of Birth : Hyderabad Tenure Order : 3rd President Took Office : May 13, 1967 Left Office : May 3, 1969 Successor : V V Giri		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Born in 1897 at Hyderabad, Dr Zakir Husain was the third President of India from May 13, 1967 until his death. Hussain was born in Hyderabad, India, where his father had migrated from Uttar Pradesh. He went for higher education to Anglo-Muhammadan Oriental College (now Aligarh Muslim University). He was known even in those days for his love of knowledge, his wit and eloquence and his readiness to help his fellow students. Zakir Husain, then only 23 and a student of the M.A. , was among the small group of students and teachers who decided to establish a National Muslim University and named it Jamia Millia Islamia. Zakir Husain's unceasing quest for knowledge also took him to Germany in the 1920's. During his three year stay there, he acquired a deep love for European art and literature on music and he also got a Doctorate from the University of Berlin in Economics. In 1963, he was awarded the highest honour of the land, the Bharat Ratna for his great service to the nation. After serving as the Governor of Bihar from 1957 to 1962, and as the Vice President of India for a term of five years, from 1962 to 1967, Dr. Zakir Husain was elected President of India on May 13, 1967. In his deeply moving inaugural speech he said that the whole of India was his home and all its people were his family. He died in office.

Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Date of Birth : Sep 5, 1888 Date of Death : Apr 17, 1975 Place of Birth : Tiruttani, Madras Tenure Order : 2nd President Took Office : May 13, 1962 Left Office : May 13, 1967 Successor : Dr. Zakir Hussain		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan is best known as the man who introduced the thinking of western idealist philosophers into Indian thought. He was an Oxford don who became the first Vice President and the second President of India. He was born at Tiruttani, 64 km to the northeast of Madras in South India. His mother tongue was Telugu. His early years were spent in Tiruttani, Tiruvallur and Tirupati. His primary education was in Gowdie School, Tiruvallur. He graduated with a Master's Degree in Arts from Madras University. In 1921, he was appointed to the most important philosophy chair in India, King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science in the University of Calcutta. Radhakrishnan represented the University of Calcutta at the Congress of the Universities of the British Empire in June 1926 and the International Congress of Philosophy at Harvard University in September 1926. In 1929, Radhakrishnan was invited to take the post vacated by Principal J. Estin Carpenter in Manchester College, Oxford. This gave him the opportunity to lecture to the students of the University of Oxford on Comparative Religion. He was knighted in 1931 and was known as Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. He worked as the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1936, Radhakrishnan was named the Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford and elected a Fellow of All Souls College, a post which he held until he was named the first Vice President of India in 1952. He showed how western philosophers, despite all claims to objectivity, were biased by theological influences from their wider culture. In one of his major works he also showed that Indian philosophy, once translated into standard academic jargon, is worthy of being called philosophy by western standards. His main contribution to Indian thought, therefore, is that he placed it "on the map", thereby earning Indian philosophy a respect that it had not had before. After 1946, his philosophical career was cut short when his country needed him as ambassador to UNESCO and later to Moscow. He was later to become the first Vice-President and finally the President (1962-1967) of India. When he became the President of India in 1962, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, September 5. He replied, "Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teacher's Day." Since then, Teacher's Day has been celebrated in India. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1954. The University of Oxford instituted the Radhakrishnan Chevening Scholarships and the Radhakrishnan Memorial Award in his memory. He also received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 1961.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Date of Birth : Dec 3, 1884 Date of Death : Feb 28, 1963 Place of Birth : Zeradei, Bihar Tenure Order : 1st President Took Office : Jan 26, 1950 Left Office : May 13, 1962 Successor : Dr.S Radhakrishnan		Presidents of India •  Dr. Rajendra Prasad •  Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan •  Dr.Zakir Hussain •  Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah •  Varahagiri Venkatagiri •  Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed •  B.D.Jatti •  Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy •  Giani Zail Singh •  R.Venkataraman •  Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma •  K.R.Narayan •  Dr. A.P.J. Adbul Kalam •  Pratibha Patil
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India. Rajendra Prasad was a great freedom-fighter, and the architect of the Indian Constitution, having served as President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution of the Republic from 1948 to 1950. He had also served as a Cabinet Minister briefly in the first Government of Independent India. He was a crucial leader of the Indian Independence Movement. Prasad was born in Jiradei, in the Siwan district of Bihar. His father, Mahadev Sahay, was a Persian and Sanskrit language scholar; his mother, Kamleshwari Devi, was a devout lady who would tell stories from the Ramayana to her son. At the age of 5, the young Rajendra Prasad was sent to a Maulavi for learning Persian. After that he was sent to Chapra Zilla School for further primary studies. He was married at the age of 12 to Rajvanshi Devi. He then went on to study at R.K. Ghosh's Academy in Patna to be with his older brother Mahendra Prasad. Soon afterward, however, he rejoined the Chapra Zilla School, and it was from there that he passed the entrance examination of Calcutta University, at the age of 18. He stood first in the first division of that examination. He then joined the Presidency College, Calcutta. He was initially a student of science and his teachers included J.C.Bose and Prafulla Chandra Roy. Later he decided to switch his focus to the arts. Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy, who was impressed by his intellect and dedication asked him on the occasion "Why have you deserted your class?." Prasad lived with his brother in the Eden Hindu Hostel. A plaque still commemorates his stay in that room. He had been initiated into the Swadeshi movement by his brother. He then joined the Dawn Society run by Satish Chandra Mukherjee, and Sister Nivedita. In 1911, he joined the A.I.C.C. However, his family estate was in bad condition. He was looked upon as the provider. But he sought permission from his brother in a letter to join the Indian freedom movement. He wrote, "Ambitions I have none, except to be of some service to the Motherland". The shock of his brother, however, held him to the family. In 1916, Rajendra Prasad joined the High Court of Bihar, and Orissa. Such was his intellect and his integrity, that often when his adversary failed to cite a precedent, the judges asked Rajendra Prasad to cite a precedent against himself. After meeting Mahatma Gandhi, he quit as a Senator of the University, much to the regret of the British Vice-Chancellor.He also responded to the call by the Mahatma to boycott Western education by asking his son Mrityunjaya Prasad, a brilliant student to drop out of the University and enroll himself in Bihar Vidyapeeth, an institution he had along with his colleagues founded on the traditional Indian model. He wrote articles for Searchlight and the Desh and collected funds for these papers. He toured a lot, explaining, lecturing and exhorting. When the earthquake of Bihar occurred on January 15, 1934, Rajendra Prasad was in jail. He was released two days later. He set himself for the task of raising funds. The Viceroy had also raised a fund. However, while Rajendra Prasad's fund collected over 38 Lakhs (Rs. 3,800,000), the Viceroy could only manage one-third of that amount. The way relief was organized left nothing to be desired. Nationalist India expressed its admiration by electing him to the President of the Bombay session of the Indian National Congress. After India became independent he was elected the President of India. As President, he used his moderating influence so silently and unobtrusively that he neither reigned nor ruled. His sister Bhagwati Devi died on the night of 25 January 1960. She doted on her dearly-loved younger brother. It must have taken Rajendra Prasad all his will power to have taken the Republic Day salute as usual, on the following day. It was only on return from the parade that he set about the task of cremation. In 1962, after 12 years as President, he announced his decision to retire. He was subsequently awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian award. Within months of his retirement, early in September 1962, his wife Rajvanshi Devi passed away. In a letter written a month before his death to one devoted to him, he said, "I have a feeling that the end is near, end of the energy to do, end of my very existence". He died on 28 February 1963 with 'Ram Ram Ram' on his lips. Because of the enormous public adulation he enjoyed, he was referred to as Desh Ratna or the Jewel of the country. His legacy is being ably carried forward by his great grandson Ashoka Jahnavi-Prasad, a psychiatrist and a scientist of international repute who introduced sodium valproate as a safer alternative to lithium salts in the treatment of bipolar disorders.